Hi :) I was wondering if there was a well knowledge company out there that could help me with a nutrient program to best benefit my horse. I am trying to find a supplement to add to my current feed that will help with daily vitamins and nutrients that are needed. Also trying to find one that has an ulcer preventative in it. He is currently on triumph feed and a scoop of equishine. Was looking into equipride, animal element detox, and necessity. He is a barrel and pole horse and want to help give him performance benefits too.Posted via Mobile Device

deserthorsewoman

02-19-2013 06:59 PM

You probably wont need a company anymore once you're done on here lol....bunch of knowledgeable people here when it comes to nutrition.

To be able to help you we would need more info.
Amount of roughage, what kind, how often offered a day, what type of other feeds, how much. Weight, not coffeecans or scoops, or flakes. Workload, living situation and a current pic.
:-)

Runninghot88

02-19-2013 07:27 PM

Okay he is stalled from like 4pm-6am. Outside he is on a round bale all day during the winter and grass during the summer. At night in his stall he gets 3-4flakes of hay. I don't know the weight for the grain off hand, but he gets 1 full scoop in a 2-quart standard scoop in the morning and at night of the feed Triumph. At
night he also gets 2 oz of equishine. He will start getting back into shape for the summer with being rode 5-6 days a week and shown frequently in barrels and poles. I am hoping to find a supplement such as Necessity that will help with improving performance with an added joint supplement. At the same time though hoping to find one with ulcer prevention. I am not overly knowledged with the different supplements and the correct protein. I don't know if you can combine multiple supplements for each need or not. I am not sure how to upload a picture from my phone.Posted via Mobile Device

deserthorsewoman

02-19-2013 07:56 PM

I have to look up the feed to say more about them.
THE best ulcer prevention is roughage available at all times, many small grain meals over the day instead of just one or two bigger ones and a flake of alfalfa half an hour before each grain feeding. Acid attacking the stomach lining when it's empty is the main cause for ulcers. If you keep that stomach busy like nature intended you're already a huge step ahead. Alfalfa is known for buffering stomach acid, so have him eat a little before a "sweet" meal is additional help.

deserthorsewoman

02-19-2013 08:11 PM

Okay, looked up the feed.....not the best. There are better Nutrena feeds out there who give all vitamins, minerals, amino acids, probiotics and proteins needed if fed at minimum amount recommended. The only supplement you would need then is something for the joints.
The Life Design line has two feeds I could recommend. For now the Prime, and once he goes in heavier work, the Compete.

Runninghot88

03-02-2013 06:17 AM

Hi sorry for the delay in responding, school has been really hectic lately. I looked and the actually feed is Tribute not Triumph. My apologies. As of now it isn't an option to feed him more than 2x a day. Would you start feeding joint supplements if they don't need them yet? It isn't really an option for me right now to change his feed, which is the reason for why I am looking for an added supplement. What are the main things a person wants to look for when choosing a complete feed?Posted via Mobile Device

walkinthewalk

03-02-2013 09:20 AM

If you can afford and can get EquiPride, you will not need to feed anything else in terms of actual feed. It is designed to be fed to horses that only eat grass and/or hay.

EquiPride is soy-free and grain-free, except for distillers grains and those are fine to feed because whiskey makers remove all the sugars then re-sell the "dried" grain to feed makers.

EquiPride does have a pre-probiotic in it but it wouldn't hurt to add more into the diet.

It only takes ten ounces daily of EquiPride to meet the horse's nutritional needs. If you are only feeding it to one horse, 50 lbs is going to last a long time, so you need to store it somewhere it won't sour during the hot months.

I fed it for three years, then stopped because it went up to $60/bag; I have four horses and that's a bit much for my wallet. Plus I have to drive 38 miles to buy it and then store it in the spare bedroom during our hot/humid summers:-)

OneFastHorse

03-05-2013 01:53 PM

Good choice on the equisure. It's a good product!

Which Tribute feed is it? There are many.

OneFastHorse

03-05-2013 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Runninghot88
(Post 1918971)

Would you start feeding joint supplements if they don't need them yet? It isn't really an option for me right now to change his feed, which is the reason for why I am looking for an added supplement. What are the main things a person wants to look for when choosing a complete feed?Posted via Mobile Device

I like Acti-Flex 4000 plus a scoop of MSM for oral joint support. It has the highest levels of everything EXCEPT the MSM, which is why I add an extra scoop. Big Dee's is running a sale right now, buy a gallon, get a free quart. MSM is cheap. I feed it to my horses in training whether they have known issues or not.

When looking for a feed, look for a company that has fixed formulas, not low cost formulas. Low cost substitutes ingredients with what ever is cheapest at the time. This means that not every bag will be the same. Fixed formulas are just that, fixed. They stay the same all the time, every bag is the same, all the time. (Some fixed formula companies are Triple Crown, Buckeye, ADM. Some low cost formulas are Purina, Nutrena.)

Next thing to look at is NSC (starch+sugar) content and the ingredients.
*I* stick with an NSC of 14% or lower. (High NSC diets have been proven to cause all kinds of negative effects on horses, such as, ulcers, hindgut acidosis, founder, laminitis, IR, obesity, weight loss, bad hoof health, etc.) IMO, anything under 14% NSC is low. Something under 10% is even better, especially if yiou have a starch sensitive horse or a horse with metabolic issues.

The ingredient list is just like ours. The ingredients at the beginning of the list are the most prevalent in the feed. If you see corn, oats, barley, molasses, etc. in the first few ingredients, then pass. Cereal grains are high NSC and have been proven to be unhealthy for the horses digestive system.

Hi :) I was wondering if there was a well knowledge company out there that could help me with a nutrient program to best benefit my horse.

FeedXL.com is a fantastic resource! Sounds like just what you're after.:wink:

Quote:

Alfalfa is known for buffering stomach acid, so have him eat a little before a "sweet" meal

This has become a popular thing, but I'm not so sure. & the more I learn about the importance of magnesium & effects of a high calcium diet, the more not sure I am:?. Google 'Magnesium for Horses' for a start on more info.

Any low starch/sugar forage tends to 'buffer' stomach acid, especially when there's lots to chew(eg not pelleted/pre-processed), as saliva is an acid buffer too. High calcium feeds such as alfalfa, or Ca rich supps can drastically imbalance magnesium & leave it deficient. Other things that can increase need for Mg include high starch/sugar feeds, stress, IR.... So there's one more reason I wouldn't feed 'sweet' or grainy feed either.:wink:

Quote:

As of now it isn't an option to feed him more than 2x a day. Would you start feeding joint supplements if they don't need them yet? It isn't really an option for me right now to change his feed, which is the reason for why I am looking for an added supplement. What are the main things a person wants to look for when choosing a complete feed?

Not knowing the feed - heaps of choices in that brand, which one are you feeding? - can't comment specifically, but generally speaking, if you can't feed more than twice daily, I would be feeding a very small amount of whatever, very low starch(some advertise as low or 'controlled' & are not really) feed. If you can't change his feed & it's grainy/sugary, I'd be giving it in a very small quantity(couple of handfuls perhaps) with some chaff perhaps, if it's pelleted or such, and adding a (low dose, low starch) ration balancer or nutritional supp(s) that will fill the gaps in his diet. With a program such as FeedXL.com you can input what you feed and easily work out the most appropriate product available that will balance the diet. Obviously it will also depend on his condition as to what you can/should feed.

As for joint supps, look into MSM - another thing that the more I read about it, the more important it sounds!:wink: